Rail-joint.



UNITED sTATns PATENT OFFICE.

RAIL-JOINT.

No.- ssaoeo.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May '7, 1907.

Application filed February 1'7, 1906. fierial No. 301,660.

made and always have in use five contact bearing points only, four beingthe same bearing contact points as the present standard fish plates andthe other bearing point is formed at the extreme base of the steel rail.These five bearing contact points are automatically brought into theircorrect position by the driving on the fish-plate on its steel rail, theends of the fish-plate being tapered or so shaped at each of its fivecontact hearing points that the fish-plate can be easily fitted over thesteel rail, and then when driven home on the steel rail it makesautomatically the required five contact bearing points without usingscrew or other bolts. My shoe platform is also rigidly held in positionon the steel rails by means of suitable bolts, the threads of whichbolts or the bolts themselves are not strained to bring the five bearingpoints into position or slackened or strained. when the train passesover said fish plate because said platform arms have a tendency to cometogether under train load thereby keeping the five bearing points incorrect position the fish plate being really formed intoa strong box orthe equivalent of a strong square box having five contact bearingspoints always in use automatically and giving many advantages inconstruction.

In order that my invention may be prop erly understood and readilycarried into effect, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a transverse section of a rail forming part of apermanent way with the method and means constituting a yielding shoeplatform or case with five distinct and separate automatic contactpoints for clamping and locking the sections in position and embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation and plan respectively of a doubleheaded screwless bolt which clamps and locks the automatically made fivebearing contact points of the shoe or case with the rails rig idly inposition. Fig. 3 is a similar View of a slightly modified form of head.Fig. 4. is an end View of the shoe or case detached from the rails,showing metal cut away at the five bearing points for ease of steel railentering before driving the fish plate home. Fig. 5 is a perspectiveview of the shoe or case showing the five bearing points and rails andbolts in their proper working position. Fig. 6 is a View correspondingto Fig. 1 of a modified form of the shoe platform or case. Fig. 7 is aView corresponding to Fig. 4 of the shoe or case detached. Fig. 8 is aview correspond-' ing to Fig. 5 of the respective parts in their normalposition all hereafter more fully referred to and described.

In carrying out my invention I provide an angled metal shoe platform orcase at having two (right and left) suitable angled metal arms a aextending upward from its base and all of a suitable thickness ofmaterial throughout. This shoe platform with arms embraces the web orwaist b and lower portions of the rails b, c, in such a manner thatthere are only five distinct and separate automatically made contactbearing surfaces, namely, one more contact bearing point than thepresent fish plates have, rest-- ing (1st) on the two bottom angledportions of head of rail, same as the present fish plates, (2nd) on thetwo top flanges of the base of the rail, same as the present fishplates, and (3rd.) on the one giving or elastic center point duringdriving on the fishplate over the steel rail on the extreme bottom ofthe base of the rail as shown in Figs. 1 and 6. This shoe platform aiscapable of being easily driven backward and forward over either of theends of the two steel rails b, c, to be fastened together the fivecontacts points automatically assuming their'correct positions withoutusing screw bolts. In this shoe platform a the two ends of the steelrails b, 0, lie and they can be bound and locked in position by usingeither the ordinary screw bolt and nut as in Figs. 1 and 6 two suitabledoubleheaded screwless bolts 6, f, such as are shown in Figs. 2 and 3 orthe equivalent of these bolts last maned,'which bolts when in theirproper position form a direct and rigid binding connection between theright and left angled arms a a? of said shoe platform a thereby formingsaid angled metal platform a, into the equivalent of a flanged angledmetal platform box, strong box, or grip box having two open properly IIOshaped ends and having the equivalent with the bolts in osition of fourstrong rigid metal sides. 11 this shoe platform or case a or what may bedesignated a strong box,the ends of the said steel rails b, c, aresuitably incased, being not only bound, but locked in position in saidgrip box. This angled metal gripping box in which the ends of the twosteel. rails meet, need not be as long as the fish plates presently inuse, but the tendency suitably-shaped ends and envelop them with itsstrong gripping metal flanged arms and its five automatically madecontact points as per drawings, and it is to be noted that the arms ofthis shoe platform or case have a tendency to come together as the trainpasses over the fishplates, and therefore this fishlatedoes not strainthe. heads and threads of the bolts of the fish plates as in allthepresent fishplate bolts, thus the rail and shoe or case becomepractically integral giving the required elasticity as a whole, andwithout any fear of distortion of the metal.

The double-headed bolts e, f, have each a large and a small and fixedhead 6 f 6 f as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, and the smaller head 6 fis elongated and can pass straight through suitable holes formed in theshoe I flanged arms a a which elongated holes 6 f areinade exactlysimilar in shape or suitable in size to enable the small head of thebolt to pass through them and also through the holes in' the web orwaist 12 near the ends of the said steel rails.

To efficiently bind and lock in position the two flanged gripping arms a(1 together,

I only require to pass the smaller heads 6 f of the double headed bolts6, f, through the shoe latform a has no necessary direct support "romthe ground, but is automatically supported in position by incasing thebase and web or waist of the ends of the two steel rails with its griparms, at the five bearing points see accompanying drawings, and onaccount of its shorter length it is capable of being driven endwiseentirely over either of the steel rail ends and driven back againwithout necessarily coming in contact with the chairs and sleepers andits suitably flanged construction gives it the required lateral andperpendicular strength when gripping the steel rails, as the trainpasses over it, without slackening the fishplate bolts or stretching thethreads of the screw bolts and this fishplate stops individualdepression of the steel rail ends.

Any space caused by the wear and tear on the upper ends of the metalarms a a of the shoe platform or case (L is taken up automatically andis locked in position by the screwing or tightening up of the bolts.

The shoe platform, double-headed bolts, or

screw bolts can be made in all suitable shapes and dimensions and ofsuitable materials, and if required the large heads of the doubleheadedbolts can be rigidly and suitably stapled to the flanged arm of the shoeplatform or locked in any other suitable way and in connection withthese double-headed bolts suitable washers can be used when required.

Of course it is to be understood that my improvements are applicable toall sizes and shapes of steel rail ends.

Claims.

The combination with a rail, of a fish plate comprising a curved base onwhich the foot of the rail rests, and a pair of arms extending upwardlyfrom the base and. having elongated openings therein, and bolts passingthrough said openings and through openings in the webof the rail each ofsaid bolts having an elongated head adapted to pass freely through theopenings in said arms to lock the arms together when the bolts areturned; each arm having an inclined lower portionresting on the uppersurface of the foot of the rail, and a vertical straight upper portionextending parallel to the web of the rail and spaced therefromthroughout its length; said-upper IIO portion having an inclined uppersurface on whichthe head of the rail rests and the side of the upperportion'being flush with the side of the head of the rail.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

EDWARD BEIGE KILLEN. Witnesses:

J OHN LIDDLE, JOHN TRAIN LIDDLE.

